“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then He is not omnipotent.

Is He able but not willing?
Then He is malevolent.

Is He both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?

Is He neither able nor willing?
Then why call Him God?”

Please bear with me for a little history. A few hundred years before the birth of Christ, famous Greek philosopher Epicurus proposed this series of questions and answers which has been often repeated. If God is all powerful and all loving, why does evil exist?

“And so, [unchurched people] think [church] is about behavior modification, when it’s about a heart transformation…. But for some reason the church is known more for what it’s against than what it’s for and we have to change that in our culture.”

The biggest complaint I have from my atheist friends about religion in general but specifically Christianity is rooted in this one issue.

I am deeply grateful to you and to God for the privilege and honor of being your husband.

I Pledge:

To love you with all of the patience, mercy, and determination that is found in Christ’s love for us. This is the first and greatest pledge and encompasses all others.

To work diligently to provide sufficient income and resources to provide for the security of our family freeing you to maintain our home, follow charitable pursuits, or participate in whatever career you wish without concern for specific income requirements.

To be your constant strong advocate and support for all worthy pursuits and through every trial and triumph you encounter.

To strive constantly to become ever more a man of God so I may lead our family according to His design, so we can train our children to be reflections of Him, and so we can serve our community in a way to bring honor to Him.

To bathe our family in prayer for God’s protection, guidance, and blessing.

To speak of you only with positive and complimentary language. I will not disparage you through my words or actions.

To desire nothing more than you with the exception of a life lived fully devoted to God.

I recognize I am not God, and am not capable of fully living up to this pledge. Therefore, I must make some requests.

I Request You:

Hold me accountable to this pledge and not allow me to make any excuse when I fail.

Step in and lead our family when I am incapable of doing so either through illness or sin.

Remember my failures are not due to lack of love for you but weakness in me.

I have a good friend who is half way through seminary with plans to become a chaplain but just learned that his denomination will not ordain him due to a divorce. He asked me for my opinion whether or not a divorce should prohibit a man from pursuing pastorship and wondered if Paul meant something else. I am assuming that my friend was referring to 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6 where he says that leaders in the church should be the husband of one wife. (more…)

The Man I’d Like To Meet

Everyone has their list of people they can’t wait to meet when they get to Heaven. Paul, Peter, David of course. Loved ones who have passed away. And I know we all can’t wait to finally meet Alice Cooper (Vincent isn’t there yet, but I have a better chance of meeting him in heaven than I do down here). But I’m really looking forward to sitting down and talking with King Nebuchadnezzar. (more…)

Why Not Me

I’ve heard different speakers during their call to action transition from “Who will do this” to “Why not you”. The problem with that is I can think of 30 reasons not to do just about anything- even if I know it REALLY needs to be done. Instead of asking “Why not me”, ask “What will this cost”. You can then decide if it’s worth the sacrifice. By approaching problems from the perspective that you CAN fix them, you will be in a better position to prioritize. You’ll get a lot more done, and more important stuff as well.